U.S. patent number 10,252,696 [Application Number 15/641,090] was granted by the patent office on 2019-04-09 for restraint apparatus and method with alert.
This patent grant is currently assigned to Intel Corporation. The grantee listed for this patent is Intel Corporation. Invention is credited to George J. Chaltas, Kshitij A. Doshi.
United States Patent |
10,252,696 |
Doshi , et al. |
April 9, 2019 |
Restraint apparatus and method with alert
Abstract
In embodiments, apparatuses, methods and storage media
(transitory and non-transitory) are described that are associated
with providing alerts to a caregiver in a vehicle. In various
embodiments, an apparatus may include a first sensor coupled with a
restraint to provide a restraint indicator, a second sensor coupled
with a securing component to provide an attachment indicator, and
an alert module operated by one or more processors to cause a
wireless transmitter to transmit an alert signal based at least in
part on the restraint indicator and the attachment indicator. In
various embodiments, a warning apparatus may include an output
device and a warning module operated by one or more processors to
activate the output device based at least in part on a wireless
alert signal from a car seat in a vehicle that indicates the car
seat is in use.
Inventors: |
Doshi; Kshitij A. (Chandler,
AZ), Chaltas; George J. (Portland, OR) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Intel Corporation |
Santa Clara |
CA |
US |
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Assignee: |
Intel Corporation (Santa Clara,
CA)
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Family
ID: |
56919616 |
Appl.
No.: |
15/641,090 |
Filed: |
July 3, 2017 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20180056935 A1 |
Mar 1, 2018 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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14660631 |
Mar 17, 2015 |
9714003 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G08B
21/02 (20130101); B60N 2/002 (20130101); G08B
25/10 (20130101); B60R 22/48 (20130101); G08B
21/22 (20130101); B60N 2/26 (20130101); G08B
23/00 (20130101); B60R 2022/4858 (20130101); B60N
2002/2815 (20130101); B60R 2022/4816 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
B60R
22/48 (20060101); G08B 25/10 (20060101); B60N
2/00 (20060101); B60N 2/26 (20060101); G08B
21/22 (20060101); G08B 21/02 (20060101); G08B
23/00 (20060101); B60N 2/28 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;340/457.1 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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10-2015-0015052 |
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Feb 2015 |
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KR |
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WO 2007/060417 |
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May 2007 |
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WO |
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Other References
International Search Report and Written Opinion dated May 30, 2016
for International Application No. PCT/US2016/014964, 15 pages.
cited by applicant .
Extended European Search Report dated Sep. 5, 2018 for European
Patent Application No. 16765371.6, 8 pages. cited by
applicant.
|
Primary Examiner: Ghulamali; Qutbuddin
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Schwabe, Williamson & Wyatt,
P.C.
Parent Case Text
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.
No. 14/660,631, entitled "RESTRAINT APPARATUS AND METHOD WITH
ALERT," filed Mar. 17, 2015, now U.S. Pat. No. 9,714,003, and
claims priority to the Ser. No. 14/660,631 application. The entire
disclosure of the Ser. No. 14/660,631 application is incorporated
herein by reference.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. An apparatus with a restraint alert, comprising: a securing
component to secure a safety seat, the safety seat having a
restraint configurable into a restraining position to restrain an
occupant of the safety seat; a first sensor to provide a restraint
indicator based at least in part on the restraint of the safety
seat is configured in the restraining position, restraining the
occupant of the safety seat; and a second sensor coupled with the
securing component to provide an attachment indicator based at
least in part on the securing component is engaged to secure the
safety seat; wherein presence of both the restraint indicator and
the attachment indicator causes provision of a restraint alert
signal.
2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the apparatus is the safety
seat.
3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the safety seat is a child car
seat, and the securing component is to secure the child car seat to
a vehicle.
4. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: one or more
processors; and an alert module operated by the one or more
processors to cause the restraint alert signal to be transmitted
based at least in part on the presence of both the restraint
indicator and the attachment indicator.
5. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the alert module is operated
to cause the restraint alert signal to be wirelessly
transmitted.
6. The apparatus of claim 5 further comprising a wireless
transmitter to wirelessly transmit the restraint alert signal.
7. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the alert module is further
operated to stop causing the restraint alert signal to be
transmitted when at least one of the restraint indicator no longer
indicates the restraint is in the restraining position or the
attachment indicator no longer indicates the securing component is
engaged to secure the safety seat.
8. The apparatus of claim 4, further comprising a manual activation
component, wherein the alert module is to cause the restraint alert
signal to be transmitted based at least in part on an activation
state of the manual activation component.
9. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the safety seat is secured to
a vehicle, and the alert module is operated to cause the restraint
alert signal to be transmitted in a manner that indicates an
escalated alert status based at least in part on a signal received
indicating a vehicle status of the vehicle.
10. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a wireless
receiver to receive the signal that indicates the vehicle status of
the vehicle.
11. The apparatus of claim 4, wherein the alert module is to
establish an ad-hoc network link with a personal communication
device and cause the restraint alert signal to be transmitted to
the personal communication device over the established ad-hoc
network link.
12. A method for providing a restraint alert, comprising: sensing
whether a restraint of a safety seat is configured in a restraining
position restraining an occupant of the safety seat, and in
response, generating a restraint indicator indicating the restraint
is configured in the restraining position; and sensing whether a
securing component is engaged to couple the safety seat to a
vehicle, and in response, generating an attachment indicator
indicating the securing component is engaged to couple the safety
seat to the vehicle; wherein presence of both the restraint
indicator and the attachment indicator causes a restraint alert
signal to be transmitted.
13. The method of claim 12, further comprising wirelessly
transmitting or causing wireless transmission of the restraint
alert signal, based at least in part on the presence of both the
restraint indicator and the attachment indicator.
14. The method of claim 13, further comprising stopping the
wirelessly transmitting or stopping causing wireless transmission
of the restraint alert signal when at least one of the restraint
indicator no longer indicates the restraint is in the restraining
position or the attachment indicator no longer indicates the
securing component is engaged to secure the safety seat.
15. The method of claim 14, further comprising receiving a vehicle
status indicator indicating a vehicle status of a vehicle to which
the safety seat is secured, wherein the wirelessly transmitting or
causing wireless transmission of the restraint alert signal
comprises wirelessly transmitting or causing wireless transmission
of the restraint alert signal in a manner that indicates an
elevated alert state based at least in part on the vehicle status
indicator.
16. The method of claim 13, further comprising determining an
activation state of a manual activation component, wherein the
wirelessly transmitting or causing wireless transmission of the
restraint alert signal comprises wirelessly transmitting or causing
wireless transmission of the restraint alert signal based at least
in part on the activation state of the manual activation component.
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present disclosure relates to the field of restraint devices,
in particular, to providing an alert based at least in part on
whether a restraint on a device is secured and the device is
coupled with a vehicle.
BACKGROUND
The background description provided herein is for the purpose of
generally presenting the context of the disclosure. Unless
otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section
are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not
admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.
Attention lapses by caregivers may cause infants or children to be
left behind in vehicles, potentially exposing them to elevated or
reduced temperatures that may put them at risk of physical harm, in
addition to any emotional trauma that may occur from being left
alone. Existing devices may be based on a weight sensor and a
distance of a baby seat from a car ignition key. These solutions
may be problematic in requiring changes to car keys or awkward
calibration of the weight sensing mechanism.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed
description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. To
facilitate this description, like reference numerals designate like
structural elements. Embodiments are illustrated by way of example,
and not by way of limitation, in the Figures of the accompanying
drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a device having a caregiver alert
system, in accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a vehicular warning device, in
accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a vehicle control system, in
accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example process that may be
implemented on various computing devices described herein, in
accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an example process that may be
implemented on various computing devices described herein, in
accordance with various embodiments.
FIG. 6 illustrates an example computing environment suitable for
practicing various aspects of the disclosure, in accordance with
various embodiments.
FIG. 7 illustrates an example storage medium with instructions
configured to enable an apparatus to practice various aspects of
the present disclosure, in accordance with various embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the
accompanying drawings which form a part hereof wherein like
numerals designate like parts throughout, and in which is shown by
way of illustration embodiments that may be practiced. It is to be
understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural or
logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the
present disclosure. Therefore, the following detailed description
is not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of
embodiments is defined by the appended claims and their
equivalents.
Various operations may be described as multiple discrete actions or
operations in turn, in a manner that is most helpful in
understanding the claimed subject matter. However, the order of
description should not be construed as to imply that these
operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these
operations may not be performed in the order of presentation.
Operations described may be performed in a different order than the
described embodiment. Various additional operations may be
performed and/or described operations may be omitted in additional
embodiments.
For the purposes of the present disclosure, the phrase "A and/or B"
means (A), (B), or (A and B). For the purposes of the present
disclosure, the phrase "A, B, and/or C" means (A), (B), (C), (A and
B), (A and C), (B and C), or (A, B and C).
The description may use the phrases "in an embodiment," or "in
embodiments," which may each refer to one or more of the same or
different embodiments. Furthermore, the terms "comprising,"
"including," "having," and the like, as used with respect to
embodiments of the present disclosure, are synonymous.
As used herein, the term "logic" and "module" may refer to, be part
of, or include an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC),
an electronic circuit, a processor (shared, dedicated, or group)
and/or memory (shared, dedicated, or group) that execute one or
more software or firmware programs, a combinational logic circuit,
and/or other suitable components that provide the described
functionality. The term "module" may refer to software, firmware
and/or circuitry that is/are configured to perform or cause the
performance of one or more operations consistent with the present
disclosure. Software may be embodied as a software package, code,
instructions, instruction sets and/or data recorded on
non-transitory computer readable storage mediums. Firmware may be
embodied as code, instructions or instruction sets and/or data that
are hard-coded (e.g., nonvolatile) in memory devices. "Circuitry",
as used in any embodiment herein, may comprise, for example, singly
or in any combination, hardwired circuitry, programmable circuitry
such as computer processors comprising one or more individual
instruction processing cores, state machine circuitry, software
and/or firmware that stores instructions executed by programmable
circuitry. The modules may collectively or individually be embodied
as circuitry that forms a part of a computing device. As used
herein, the term "processor" may be a processor core.
Referring now to FIG. 1, a device 100, incorporated with the
caregiver alert teaching of the present disclosure, in accordance
with various embodiments, is illustrated. As shown, device 100 may
include a number of components 102-138, including a processor 102,
a system memory 104, an execution environment 106, a restraint
sensor 108, an attachment sensor 110, and a transceiver 112 that
may be coupled together and configured to cooperate with each other
to transmit an alert signal based at least in part on whether a
restraint 114 is in a restraining position and a securing component
116 is engaged to couple the device 100 to a vehicle. In
embodiments, the device 100 may be configured as an Internet of
Things (IoT) device that can communicate and interoperate with
various other devices and systems configured to function in an IoT
environment. In various embodiments, the device 100 may be a child
car seat or a portable infant carrier that includes the restraint
114 to securely keep a child or infant in the car seat and the
securing component 116 to securely attach the car seat to a
vehicle. The restraint 114 may be a five point buckling harness,
for example. The restraint 114 may be configured differently in
other embodiments. In embodiments, the securing component 116 may
be a portion of the car seat structured to receive a vehicle seat
belt and/or one or more straps with fasteners for attachment to
anchor points or tether points in the vehicle.
The transceiver 112 may include a transmitter 118 and a receiver
120 in various embodiments. The transceiver 112 may be a low power
Bluetooth radio-frequency device that may operate according to at
least one of the standards defined by the Bluetooth Special
Interest Group, for example. In some embodiments, the device 100
may include only the transmitter 118 rather than having a
transceiver that includes both receiving and transmitting
components. A battery 122 may be used to power the device 100 and a
port 124 may be used to recharge the battery 122 when needed and/or
to power the device 100 when the battery 122 is at a low charge
level. The port 124 may be a universal serial bus (USB) port that
accepts a cord that may be connected to a standard USB charging
device that may be integrated into the vehicle or provided by using
a standard adapter with a power receptacle in the vehicle. In
embodiments, the device 100 may also include an input mechanism 126
that may be a manual activation component such as a push button
switch in various embodiments. The input mechanism 126 may also be
structured to be operable by a caregiver but not a child or infant
seated in the device 100 in embodiments. The device 100 may include
various output components such as a first LED 128 to indicate when
the device 100 is active and a second LED 130 to indicate when the
battery 122 has a sufficient charge level to power the device 100.
The device 100 may also include an audio output component such as a
speaker 132 to sound a periodic beep when a charge level of the
battery 122 reaches a predetermined level that indicates it will
soon be too low to power the device 100.
In embodiments, the restraint sensor 108 may provide a restraint
indicator based at least in part on whether the restraint 114 is in
a restraining position. For example, if a five point harness is
properly buckled, the restraint indicator may indicate the
restraint 114 is in a restraining position. In embodiments, the
attachment sensor 110 may provide an attachment indicator based at
least in part on whether the securing component 116 is engaged
couple the device 100 to a vehicle. For example, the attachment
indicator may indicate the securing component 116 is engaged to
couple the device 100 to a vehicle when a seat belt is securely
fastening the device 100 to a vehicle with the securing component
116 or when the device 100 is securely fastened to anchor points
and/or tether points in the vehicle. The attachment sensor 110 may
operate by sensing a tension level in one or more straps or a
pressure exerted by a seat belt on the device 100 in various
embodiments. In embodiments, the attachment sensor 110 may be a
simple switch that is activated at a predetermined pressure level.
In other embodiments, the attachment sensor 110 may provide an
output that varies depending on a pressure or strain level exerted
on the securing component 116. The securing component 116 may
include a base component that can be attached to a vehicle as
described above using a seat belt or straps attached to anchor
points, and a latch to secure a portable infant carrier to the base
component. In embodiments, the attachment sensor 110 may sense
multiple securing components such as a plurality of straps attached
to anchor points, or a base component attached to a vehicle and a
portable infant carrier securely attached to the base component
with the latch. Securing mechanisms other than a latch may be used
in various embodiments.
In embodiments, the execution environment 106 may include an alert
module 134 operated by the processor 102 to wirelessly transmit an
alert signal with the transmitter 118 when the restraint sensor 108
provides a restraint indicator that indicates the restraint 114 is
in a restraining position and the attachment sensor 110 provides an
attachment indicator that indicates the securing component 116 is
engaged to couple the device 100 to a vehicle. The alert module 134
may be operated by the processor 102 to stop wirelessly
transmitting the alert signal when at least one of the restraint
indicators indicates the restraint 114 is not in a restraining
position or the attachment indicator indicates the securing
component 116 is not engaged to couple the device 100 to the
vehicle, in various embodiments. For example, if the buckle of a
five point harness is released, the restraint indicator may
indicate the restraint 114 is not in a restraining position or if a
portable infant carrier is unlatched from its base component, the
attachment indicator may indicate the securing component 116 is not
engaged to couple the device 100 to the vehicle.
The execution environment 106 may also include other modules 136
and/or storage 138 in various embodiments. The execution
environment 106 may also include an operating system (OS) operated
by the processor 102. In embodiments, the OS may be an embedded
computing OS and the processor 102 may be an embedded computing
processor. In embodiments, the device 100 may wirelessly
communicate unidirectionally or bidirectionally with other devices
or systems such as a portable warning device 140, a vehicle control
system 142, or a personal communications device 144 such as a
smartphone or wearable computing device.
Generally, in the act of placing an infant or child in a vehicle, a
caregiver secures the infant or child in a car seat such as the
device 100, and in doing so the caregiver typically performs at
least one manual step with the car seat itself, that may include
placing a child that is already placed and restrained in a car seat
into a vehicle along with the car seat followed by securing the car
seat to the vehicle, or alternatively placing a child into a car
seat that is already present and secured to a vehicle followed by
securing a restraint. In embodiments, the device 100 may be
automatically activated when either a child is secured in a car
seat that is already affixed with a vehicle, or when the child is
first secured into the car seat which is later secured to the
vehicle. In other embodiments, the device 100 may be activated in a
different manner such as by using a weight or pressure sensor to
sense the presence of a child in the device either on its own or in
combination with the restraint sensor 108 and/or the attachment
sensor 110. The device 100 may be deactivated when the child is
extracted from the car seat or a securing component such as the
vehicle's seat belt or the device's anchor straps are released. In
embodiments, the first LED 128 may light up to assure the caregiver
that the device 100 is active when the child has been restrained in
a car seat that is secured to the vehicle. In embodiments, the
input mechanism 126 may be a button that allows the caregiver to
manually activate the device 100 if for some reason the automatic
activation is malfunctioning or if they wish to activate the device
100 manually even if it is not attached to a vehicle.
In embodiments, the device 100 may sound a periodic loud beep when
a battery charge level of the device 100 is low and should be
recharged or replaced. The device may also broadcast a `battery
needs recharging` message using the transceiver 112 over Bluetooth
or wireless fidelity (WiFi), for example, as an additional means of
notification. WiFi communications may operate according to at least
one of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
802.11 standards, for example. The second LED 130 may also
indicate, when off, that the device 100 needs to be recharged. A
vehicle based charging and/or powering mechanism that uses the port
124 may be used to let a caregiver use the device 100 even if its
battery charge level is low.
Referring now to FIG. 2, a vehicular warning device 200, such as
the portable warning device 140 for example, may include a number
of components 202-226, including a processor 202, a memory 204, an
execution environment 206, a vibration sensor 208, and a
transceiver 210 that may be coupled together and configured to
cooperate with each other to present a warning to a caregiver based
at least in part on an alert signal received at the vehicular
warning device 200 in accordance with various embodiments. The
vibration sensor 208 may include an accelerometer or gyroscope in
various embodiments. The device 200 may include an audio and/or
visual output such as a speaker 212 and an LED 214 in various
embodiments. The transceiver 210 may include a receiver 216 and a
transmitter 218 in various embodiments. The transceiver 210 may be
a low power Bluetooth radio-frequency device, for example. In some
embodiments, the device 200 may include only the receiver 216
rather than having a transceiver that includes both receiving and
transmitting components. A battery 220 may be used to power the
device 200 and an input mechanism 222 may provide for on/off and/or
volume control in various embodiments. The execution environment
206 may include a warning module 224 operated by the processor 202
to activate an output device such as the LED 214 and/or the speaker
212 based at least in part on a wireless alert signal received at
the wireless receiver 216 from a child car seat such as the device
100 described with respect to FIG. 1, that indicates the child car
seat is in use. In embodiments, the warning module 224, operated by
the processor 202, may activate an output device based at least in
part on the wireless alert signal and a signal from the vibration
sensor 208. The execution environment 206 may also include other
modules 226 and/or storage in various embodiments. The execution
environment 206 may also include an OS operated by the processor
202. In embodiments, the OS may be an embedded computing OS. The
vehicular warning device 200 may be a portable device that is
selectively locatable in multiple vehicles in various
embodiments.
Referring now to FIG. 3, a block diagram of a vehicle control
system 300, such as the vehicle control system 142 for example, is
shown in accordance with various embodiments. As shown, the vehicle
control system 300 may include a number of components 302-350,
including a processor 302, a memory 304, an execution environment
306, and a transceiver 308, as well as sensors and output devices
that may be coupled together and configured to cooperate with each
other to respond in an escalating fashion to alert signals received
from a car seat such as the device 100 described with respect to
FIG. 1, in accordance with various embodiments. The system 300 may
include an infotainment system 310 having a speaker 312 and a
display 314 that may be a touch-sensitive display that may also
function as an input device, in various embodiments. The system 300
may include sensors 316 that may include sensors for internal
temperature, external temperature, whether the vehicle is turned
off, whether the vehicle is in `park`, and whether a front driver
seat or a front passenger seat is currently occupied, for example.
Others sensors 316 may also be included in various embodiments.
The system 300 may include the ability to control various vehicle
devices and systems such as a climate control system 318, a vehicle
horn 320, a dashboard indicator 322, a speaker 324, door locks 326,
vehicle internal lights 328, vehicle external lights 330, such as
headlights or taillights for example, and/or other output devices
332. The system 300 may include one or more input devices 334 and a
port 336. The transceiver 308 may include a receiver 338 and a
transmitter 340 in various embodiments. In embodiments, the
transceiver 308 may be a low power Bluetooth radio-frequency
device, for example. The system 300 may include a wide area
transceiver 342 that may be used to place cellular telephone voice
and/or data calls in embodiments. The system 300 may also include
other communications devices such as WiFi transceivers in
embodiments. The execution environment 306 may include a warning
module 344 operated by the processor 302 to activate an output
device and/or a control system based at least in part on a wireless
alert signal received at the wireless receiver 338 from a child car
seat such as the device 100 described with respect to FIG. 1, that
indicates the child car seat is in use. In embodiments, the warning
module 344, operated by the processor 302, may determine a vehicle
status based at least in part on data from one or more of the
vehicle sensors 316 and activate an output device or control system
with an elevated alert signal based at least in part on the vehicle
status. The output device or control system activated by the
warning module 344 may include the vehicle horn 320, the
infotainment system 310, the climate control system 318, the
internal lights 328, the external lights 330, the door locks 326,
the dashboard indicator 322, or other devices in various
embodiments. The execution environment 306 may also include a
gateway 346, other modules 348, storage, and/or an OS operated by
the processor 302 in various embodiments.
Referring also to FIGS. 1-2, in various embodiments, the device 100
of FIG. 1 may communicate unidirectionally in a basic mode,
bidirectionally in an advanced mode, or in a combination of
unidirectional and bidirectional modes depending on the ability of
a portable receiver device or vehicle control system to interact
with the device 100. For example, the device 100 may communicate in
a unidirectional manner with a simplified version of the vehicular
warning device 200 that has only the receiver 216 but not the
transmitter 218. The advanced mode may be able to function with
vehicles having electronic control systems with a gateway function
such as that provided by the gateway 346 that allows communication
with external devices, and/or allows control logic that may be in
the form of an application program to be loaded into the system.
This may be performed by loading an application in the form of the
warning module 344 into the system 300 wirelessly using the
transceiver 308 or the transceiver 342, or by using a wired
connection via the port 336, for example. However, the device 100
may still use a basic, unidirectional interaction mode when
communicating with vehicles having advanced control systems capable
of bidirectional communication in some embodiments. In embodiments,
the device 100 may establish an ad-hoc network link with the
vehicle control system 300 and store a device identifier associated
with the vehicle control system 300 such that if the device 100
loses connectivity with the vehicle control system 300, when the
device 100 attempts to reestablish a connection, even if in a
crowded environment with many other vehicles nearby, the device 100
will reestablish a network link with the vehicle corresponding to
the stored device identifier.
In the basic, unidirectional interaction mode, the device 100 may
send a periodic stream of pings until the device 100 disengages
(e.g., infant is extracted from baby-seat or baby-seat is extracted
from vehicle). The pings may be referred to as a heartbeat signal
for the device 100 in various embodiments. The pings may be a
periodically broadcast stream of digital data that may include a
device type, device identifier, and/or alert level. The pings may
include different, more or less data in various embodiments. When
the device 100 disengages, the stream of pings may simply stop, or
alternatively, a deactivation signal may be broadcast for a
predetermined period of time such as approximately two seconds in
various embodiments.
Generally, the pings may be received by a receiving device or
listener such as the vehicular warning device 200 or the vehicle
control system 300. Receiving devices may include but are not
limited to an independent dashboard reminder, an integrated
dashboard reminder, a smartphone or wearable reminder such as the
personal communications device 144, for example, a device with a
vibration sensor, devices associated with emergency services
providers, or a door lock control device, for example. In
embodiments, the independent dashboard reminder may be a portable
vehicular warning device such as the device 200 that includes the
LED 214 that can be mounted at eye level or near the dashboard to
act like an extension of a vehicle's dashboard indicator system. In
embodiments, this may be a very basic receiver with an LED and a
bell used to provide a soft chime and an eye-level, non-intrusive
reminder that a baby is on board. In this manner, the caregiver is
kept aware of the baby on board status visually and through an
ambient intrusive soft beep that persists even when the car engine
(and radio, etc.) are turned off. This type of receiver could be
retrofitted into any vehicle or moved between multiple vehicles in
various embodiments. In some embodiments, the warning device may
include a vibration sensor, such as the vibration sensor 208. In
embodiments, the warning device may raise a higher level of alarm
if more than 60 seconds have gone by, the vehicle is detected as
non-vibrating, and a device 100 deactivated signal has not been
received.
In embodiments, an integrated dashboard reminder such as the
dashboard indicator 322 may be used. The alert signal from the
device 100 may be picked up by the transceiver 308, with a
corresponding indicator displayed using the dashboard indicator 322
and/or one or more sounds being played using the speaker 324. In
embodiments, output may be directed to the infotainment system 310
to display an indicator on the display 314 and/or provide audio
output using the speaker 312.
In embodiments, the device 100 may send a notification to a
caregiver's personal mobile device such as the personal
communications device 144 (e.g., a Bluetooth enabled smartphone or
smart watch), for example. In other embodiments, the notification
may be sent by the vehicle control system 300 based at least in
part on an alert signal from the device 100. In embodiments, the
alert module 134, operated by the processor 102, may establish an
ad-hoc network link with a personal communication device such as
the caregiver's personal mobile device and cause the wireless
transmitter 118 to wirelessly transmit an alert signal to the
personal communication device over the established ad-hoc network
link. The device 100 may send the notification once per activation,
every `N` minutes, with the reminder stream being captured by the
personal mobile device and being displayed with other active
notifications that may be displayed by the personal mobile device
itself. In embodiments, the period `N` may be set by the caregiver,
but would not be able to fall below at least once per activation
and at least once every 30 minutes. The personal mobile device may
also be equipped with logic that provides enhanced options that may
be based at least in part on the notification sent by the device
100. For example, if the personal mobile device is not in an
auto-stream-mode, then upon any notification in a stream of
notifications from the device 100, the personal mobile device will
go into an auto-stream-mode and remain in that mode until a
caregiver resets the mode. In embodiments, the personal mobile
device will issue a soft chime or vibrate periodically, such as
once per minute, while in auto-stream-mode. If the caregiver resets
the mode of the personal mobile device, then a timer may be set for
execution `T` minutes later, with `T` being configurable but not to
exceed a predetermined maximum, such as 10 minutes, in various
embodiments. During the time `T`, if another ping from the device
100 is received, then the personal mobile device may restart the
auto-stream-mode. In embodiments, if the personal mobile device is
in auto-stream-mode and a device disengaged ping is received from
the device 100 (e.g., infant has been extracted from the car or the
infant seat), then automatically terminate the
auto-stream-mode.
In embodiments, a receiver may repeat the alert signal received
from the device 100 or send another signal that may be received by
a secondary receiver located in a place such as an office, mass
transit point, or shopping mall that may then transmit an SOS
message to an emergency services provider or a security post. A
receiver may also be coupled with a door lock actuator in some
embodiments such that so long as the device 100 continues to
transmit an alert signal, the vehicle doors are either prevented
from being locked from the outside, or an audible reminder about
the baby in the car seat is generated at the time the device 100 is
transmitting its alert signals when the caregiver locks the car
either from inside or outside (but does not prevent the
locking).
In embodiments, the device 100 may communicate in a bidirectional
manner with receiver devices such as the vehicle control system
300, when possible. The device 100 may be able to then monitor, in
conjunction with vehicle electronics and control, whether a door is
open/closed or locked/unlocked, whether a key is in the ignition,
whether the vehicle is running, etc. Accordingly, the device 100
may be able to implement an escalating series of soft, louder, and
loudest alerts/alarms, inside or outside of the vehicle. The device
100 may also be able to take into consideration whether a vehicle's
climate control systems are active or not, and issue a more urgent
alarm if they are not, for example. In embodiments, the vehicle may
send a signal back to the device 100 that may convey information
about a state of the vehicle such as whether the ignition is turned
on, whether the doors are locked, etc. In embodiments, this signal
may include a vehicle status indicator. An escalating series of
soft warnings and loud alarms may be triggered in a variety of ways
in various embodiments. For example, if a device 100 is occupied
but the vehicle is turned off, a mild warning may be issues as soon
as the vehicle is turned off, inside the vehicle only. If the
device 100 is occupied, the vehicle is turned off, and the driver
seat is unoccupied, a stronger warning may be issued, inside the
vehicle. If the device 100 is occupied, the vehicle is turned off,
neither of the front seats are occupied, and all vehicle doors have
been closed for at least 20 seconds, a very strong warning may be
sounded that is audible outside the vehicle, such as a single beep
of the horn repeated every ten seconds, for example. If the device
100 is occupied, the car is turned off, neither of the front seats
are occupied, and the car doors are locked, vigorous warnings may
be issued as soon as the doors lock.
In embodiments, the device 100 may continue to transmit to the
vehicle control system 300 even after a caregiver has left the
vehicle, if a child is still on board in the device 100. The system
300 may sound the car horn periodically, and may turn on heat or
air conditioning in the vehicle if the temperature is outside of a
safe level. If the vehicle is hot inside, the system 300 may roll
down the windows sufficiently to allow internal temperature in the
vehicle to equalize with external temperature. If the vehicle has a
built-in GPS or other location determining system and has wide area
paging or calling capabilities, the system 300 may broadcast an
alert, along with location information such as GPS coordinates to a
set of pre-programmed emergency numbers, including emergency
services providers such as by dialing 911 if the vehicle is in the
United States or other relevant numbers in other locations, so long
as the device 100 and the system 300 detect that there is a baby on
board, the vehicle engine is turned off, the doors are shut, or
other determining factors.
FIG. 4 depicts an example process 400 for transmitting an alert
signal that may be implemented by the device 100 in accordance with
various embodiments. In various embodiments, the process 400 may be
performed by the alert module 134, restraint sensor 108, attachment
sensor 110, and/or transceiver 112. In other embodiments, the
process 400 may be performed with more or less modules and/or with
some operations in different order. As shown, for the embodiments,
the process 400 may start at a block 402 where a restraint
indicator may be received. This may occur by the processor 102
operating the alert module 134 and receiving a restraint indicator
from the restraint sensor 108 based at least in part on whether the
restraint 114 is securely in place such as by buckling a five point
safety harness to securely fasten a child or infant in the device
100, for example. At operation 404, an attachment indicator may be
received. This may occur by the processor 102 operating the alert
module 134 and receiving an attachment indicator from the
attachment sensor 110 based at least in part on whether the
securing component 116 is engaged to securely attach the device 100
to a vehicle, for example. At a decision block 406, it may be
determined whether the restraint 114 is secured and the device 100
is attached to a vehicle. This may be performed by the processor
102 operating the alert module 134 based at least in part on the
restraint indicator and the attachment indicator, for example.
If the restraint 114 is secured and the device 100 is attached to a
vehicle, a vehicle status indicator may be received at a block 408.
At operation 410, an alert signal may be transmitted based at least
in part on the vehicle status indicator. In embodiments, the alert
signal may indicate a standard alert status, or varying levels of
an escalated alert status based at least in part on the vehicle
status indicator. If the device 100 is engaged in unidirectional
rather than bidirectional communication with a receiver or
listening device, the process 400 may proceed from the decision
block 406 directly to the operation 410 where the alert signal may
be transmitted, but may not be based at least in part on a vehicle
status indicator. The alert signal may be transmitted by the
processor 102 operating the alert module 134 to transmit with the
transmitter 118, for example. At decision block 412, it may be
determined whether the restraint 114 has been released or the
device 100 has been detached from the vehicle. If neither has
occurred, the process may return to the block 408 if the device 100
is engaged in bidirectional communication. If the device is engaged
in unidirectional communication, the process may return to the
block 410. The process path for unidirectional communication is not
shown in FIG. 4. If, at the decision block 412, it is determined
the restraint 114 has been released or the device 100 has been
detached from the vehicle, the device 100 may stop transmitting the
alert signal at operation 414. In embodiments, a deactivation
signal may also be transmitted at operation 414. The process 400
may then return to the block 402 in various embodiments.
If, at the decision block 406, it was not determined that the
restraint 114 is secured and the device 100 is attached to a
vehicle, the process 40 may proceed to a block 416 where a manual
activation indictor may be received. The manual activation
indicator may be received by the processor 102 operating the alert
module 134 based at least in part on an activation state of the
input mechanism 126, for example. At a decision block 418, it may
be determined whether the device 100 has been manually activated
based at least in part on the manual activation indicator. If it is
determined that the device 100 has not been manually activated, the
process 400 may return to the block 402. If it is determined that
the device 100 has been manually activated at the decision block
418, a vehicle status indicator may be received at operation 420.
At operation 422, an alert signal may be transmitted based at least
in part on the vehicle status indicator. If the device 100 is
engaged in unidirectional rather than bidirectional communication
with a receiver or listening device, the process 400 may proceed
from the decision block 418 directly to the operation 422 where the
alert signal may be transmitted, but may not be based at least in
part on a vehicle status indicator. At a block 424, a manual
activation indicator may be received. The manual activation
indicator may be based at least in part on an activation state of
the input mechanism 126. At a decision block 426, it may be
determined whether the device 100 has been manually deactivated
based at least in part on the manual activation indicator received
at the block 424. If it is determined the device 100 has been
manually deactivated, the process 400 may proceed to operation 414
where the device 100 may stop transmitting the alert signal and may
transmit a deactivation signal in various embodiments. If, at the
decision block 426, it is not determined that the device 100 has
been manually deactivated, the process 400 may return to the block
420 where a vehicle status indicator is received if the device 100
is engaged in bidirectional communication. If the device 100 is
engaged in unidirectional communication, the process 400 may return
to the block 422 rather than the block 420.
FIG. 5 depicts an example process 500 for alerting a caregiver that
a child may be present in a vehicle, by the vehicular warning
device 200 or vehicle control system 300 in accordance with various
embodiments. The process 500 may be performed by e.g., earlier
described warning module 224 or 344, processor 202 or 302,
vibration sensor 208, sensors 316, and various output devices 212,
214, 310-314, 318-332, for example. In alternate embodiments, the
process 500 may be performed by more or less modules or components,
and/or in different order. At operation 502, a sensor signal may be
received. This may be a signal from the vibration sensor 208
received at the processor 202 or a signal from one or more sensors
316 received at the processor 302, for example. At a block 504, a
vehicle status is determined based at least in part on the sensor
signal received. In embodiments, for warning devices not having a
capability to do so, such as a warning device similar to the
vehicular warning device 200 but lacking the vibration sensor 208,
a vehicle status may not be determined. At a decision block 506, it
may be determined whether bidirectional communication is being used
to communicate with a device such at the device 100. If
bidirectional communication is not being used, a basic alert signal
may be received at operation 508. The warning module 224 operating
on the processor 202 may receive the basic alert signal from the
device 100 via the receiver 216 indicating that a child or infant
is restrained in the device 100 and the device 100 is attached to a
vehicle, for example. Similarly, the warning module 344 operated by
the processor 302 may receive the basic alert signal from the
device 100 via the receiver 338. At a block 510, an output device,
such as the speaker 214, the LED 214, the infotainment system 310,
the climate control system 318, the dashboard indicator 322, the
speaker 324, the door locks 326, the internal lights 328, the
external lights 330, or other output 332 may be activated based at
least in part on the basic alert signal received and the vehicle
status determined. For example, the vehicular warning device 200
may activate a standard level output when the vibration sensor 208
indicates the vehicle is running and activate an elevated level
output when the vibration sensor 208 indicates the vehicle has
stopped running some time ago such as one minute, for example, to
give a caregiver time to deactivate the device 100 such as by
removing a child from a car seat. In other embodiments, the
elevated level may start after a different time period or
immediately after the vehicle is detected to stop running and a
child or infant is still indicated as being restrained in the
vehicle by the basic alert signal. The warning module 344 may also
determine that an emergency services provider should be notified
and send a message using the wide area transceiver 342, for
example. For warning devices not having a capability to determine a
vehicle status, the output device may not be activated based at
least in part on a vehicle status. The process 500 may then return
to the operation 502.
If, at the decision block 506, it was determined that bidirectional
communication is being used, a vehicle status indicator, based at
least in part on the vehicle status determined at operation 504,
may be transmitted at operation 512. At operation 514 an alert
signal may be received from a restraining device such as the device
100. The alert signal may include informational content that
indicates an elevated alert status is warranted in various
embodiments. The warning module 224 or 344 may activate one or more
output devices at operation 516 based at least in part on the alert
signal. In some embodiments, for vehicles that support such
control, the alert signal may more directly activate one or more
output devices using gateway 346, for example. In similar fashion,
in some embodiments, information from sensors 316 may be provided
more directly to the device 100 through the gateway 346 by
receiving a request from the device 100 for vehicles that support
such requests. The process 500 may then return to operation 502. In
embodiments, the alert module 134 of the device 100 may include a
vehicle type selection module that may allow a caregiver to select
a vehicle type (e.g., make, model, year) to allow for differing
communications protocols over the gateway 346 and to make use of
the supported unidirectional and/or bidirectional communication
ability of the vehicle. In embodiments, the alert module 134 may
include an automatic vehicle type selection module that may
automatically select an appropriate vehicle type based at least in
part on an attempt to establish a wireless connection with the
vehicle.
Referring now to FIG. 6, an example computer 600 suitable to
practice the present disclosure as earlier described with reference
to FIGS. 1-3 is illustrated in accordance with various embodiments.
As shown, computer 600 may include one or more processors or
processor cores 602, and system memory 604. For the purpose of this
application, including the claims, the terms "processor" and
"processor cores" may be considered synonymous, unless the context
clearly requires otherwise. Additionally, computer 600 may include
one or more graphics processors 605, mass storage devices 606 (such
as diskette, hard drive, compact disc read only memory (CD-ROM) and
so forth), input/output devices 608 (such as display, keyboard,
cursor control, remote control, gaming controller, image capture
device, and so forth), sensor hub 609, and communication interfaces
610 (such as network interface cards, modems, infrared receivers,
radio receivers (e.g., Bluetooth), and so forth). The elements may
be coupled to each other via system bus 612, which may represent
one or more buses. In the case of multiple buses, they may be
bridged by one or more bus bridges (not shown).
Each of these elements may perform its conventional functions known
in the art. In particular, system memory 604 and mass storage
devices 606 may be employed to store a working copy and a permanent
copy of the programming instructions implementing the operations
associated with the device 100, the vehicular warning device 200,
the vehicle control system 300, or personal communications devices
e.g., operations described for modules 134, 136, 224, 226, 344, and
348, shown in FIG. 1-3, operations shown in process 400 of FIG. 4
or process 500 of FIG. 5, or operations associated with alerts
received by a personal communications device (such as functionality
described with respect to auto-stream-mode, for example),
collectively denoted as computational logic 622. The system memory
604 and mass storage devices 606 may also be employed to store a
working copy and a permanent copy of the programming instructions
implementing the operations associated with an OS running on the
device 100, the vehicular warning device 200 or the vehicular
control system 300. The system memory 604 and mass storage devices
606 may also be employed to store the data or local resources in
various embodiments. The various elements may be implemented by
assembler instructions supported by processor(s) 602 or high-level
languages, such as, for example, C, that can be compiled into such
instructions.
The permanent copy of the programming instructions may be placed
into mass storage devices 606 in the factory, or in the field,
through, for example, a distribution medium (not shown), such as a
compact disc (CD), or through communication interface 610 (from a
distribution server (not shown)). That is, one or more distribution
media having an implementation of the agent program may be employed
to distribute the agent and program various computing devices.
The number, capability and/or capacity of these elements 608-612
may vary, depending on whether computer 600 is a stationary
computing device, such as a set-top box or desktop computer, a
mobile computing device such as a tablet computing device, laptop
computer or smartphone, or an embedded computing device. Their
constitutions are otherwise known, and accordingly will not be
further described. In various embodiments, different elements or a
subset of the elements shown in FIG. 6 may be used. For example,
some devices may not include the graphics processor 605, may use a
unified memory that serves as both memory and storage, or may
couple sensors without using a sensor hub.
FIG. 7 illustrates an example at least one non-transitory
computer-readable storage medium 702 having instructions configured
to practice all or selected ones of the operations associated with
the device 100, the vehicular warning device 200 or the vehicle
control system 300, earlier described, in accordance with various
embodiments. As illustrated, at least one non-transitory
computer-readable storage medium 702 may include a number of
programming instructions 704. The storage medium 702 may represent
a broad range of persistent storage medium known in the art,
including but not limited to flash memory, dynamic random access
memory, static random access memory, an optical disk, a magnetic
disk, etc. Programming instructions 704 may be configured to enable
a device, e.g., computer 600, device 100, vehicular warning device
200, vehicle control system 300, or a personal communications
device in response to execution of the programming instructions, to
perform, e.g., but not limited to, various operations described for
modules 134, 136, 224, 226, 344, and 348 shown in FIG. 1-3,
operations of process 400 of FIG. 4 or process 500 of FIG. 5, or
operations associated with alerts received by a personal
communications device (such as functionality described with respect
to auto-stream-mode, for example). In alternate embodiments,
programming instructions 704 may be disposed on multiple
computer-readable storage media 702. In alternate embodiment,
storage medium 702 may be transitory, e.g., signals encoded with
programming instructions 704.
Referring back to FIG. 6, for an embodiment, at least one of
processors 602 may be packaged together with memory having
computational logic 622 configured to practice aspects described
for modules 134, 136, 224, 226, 344, and 348 shown in FIG. 1-3,
operations of process 400 of FIG. 4 or process 500 of FIG. 5, or
operations associated with alerts received by a personal
communications device (such as functionality described with respect
to auto-stream-mode, for example). For an embodiment, at least one
of processors 602 may be packaged together with memory having
computational logic 622 configured to practice aspects described
for modules 134, 136, 224, 226, 344, and 348 shown in FIG. 1-3,
operations of process 400 of FIG. 4 or process 500 of FIG. 5, or
operations associated with alerts received by a personal
communications device (such as functionality described with respect
to auto-stream-mode, for example) to form a System in Package
(SiP). For an embodiment, at least one of processors 602 may be
integrated on the same die with memory having computational logic
622 configured to practice aspects described for modules 134, 136,
224, 226, 344, and 348 shown in FIG. 1-3, operations of process 400
of FIG. 4 or process 500 of FIG. 5, or operations associated with
alerts received by a personal communications device (such as
functionality described with respect to auto-stream-mode, for
example). For an embodiment, at least one of processors 602 may be
packaged together with memory having computational logic 622
configured to practice aspects of modules 134, 136, 224, 226, 344,
and 348 shown in FIG. 1-3, process 400 of FIG. 4 or process 500 of
FIG. 5, or operations associated with alerts received by a personal
communications device (such as functionality described with respect
to auto-stream-mode, for example) to form a System on Chip (SoC).
For at least one embodiment, the SoC may be utilized in, e.g., but
not limited to, a mobile computing device such as a wearable device
and/or a smartphone.
Machine-readable media (including non-transitory machine-readable
media, such as machine-readable storage media), methods, systems
and devices for performing the above-described techniques are
illustrative examples of embodiments disclosed herein.
Additionally, other devices in the above-described interactions may
be configured to perform various disclosed techniques.
EXAMPLES
Example 1 may include a restraint apparatus with alert, comprising:
one or more processors; a wireless transmitter coupled with the one
or more processors; a restraint; a securing component; a first
sensor coupled with the restraint and the one or more processors to
provide a restraint indicator based at least in part on whether the
restraint is in a restraining position; a second sensor coupled
with the securing component and the one or more processors to
provide an attachment indicator based at least in part on whether
the securing component is engaged to couple the apparatus to a
vehicle; and an alert module operated by the one or more processors
to cause the wireless transmitter to wirelessly transmit an alert
signal based at least in part on the restraint indicator and the
attachment indicator.
Example 2 may include the subject matter of Example 1, wherein the
alert module is operated to wirelessly transmit the alert signal
when the restraint indicator indicates the restraint is in a
restraining position and the attachment indicator indicates the
securing component is engaged to couple the apparatus to the
vehicle, and wherein the alert module is operated to stop
wirelessly transmitting the alert signal when at least one of the
restraint indicator indicates the restraint is not in a restraining
position or the attachment indicator indicates the securing
component is not engaged to couple the apparatus to the
vehicle.
Example 3 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
1-2, further comprising a manual activation component, wherein the
alert module is to cause the wireless transmitter to wirelessly
transmit an alert signal based at least in part on an activation
state of the manual activation component.
Example 4 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
1-3, further comprising a wireless receiver coupled with the one or
more processors, wherein the alert module is to cause the wireless
transmitter to wirelessly transmit an alert signal indicating an
escalated alert status based at least in part on a signal received
by the wireless receiver indicating a vehicle status of the
vehicle.
Example 5 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
1-4, wherein the alert module is to establish an ad-hoc network
link with a personal communication device and cause the wireless
transmitter to wirelessly transmit the alert signal to the personal
communication device over the established ad-hoc network link.
Example 6 may include a computer implemented restraint method with
alert, comprising: receiving a restraint indicator at a computing
device, the restraint indicator being sent based at least in part
on whether a restraint is in a restraining position; receiving an
attachment indicator at the computing device, the attachment
indicator being sent based at least in part on whether a securing
component is engaged to couple an apparatus having the restraint
and the securing component to a vehicle; and transmitting or
causing to be transmitted, by the computing device, an alert signal
based at least in part on the restraint indicator and the
attachment indicator.
Example 7 may include the subject matter of Example 6, wherein
causing comprises causing, by the computing device, a wireless
transmitter to transmit an alert signal when the restraint
indicator indicates a restraint is in a restraining position and
the attachment indicator indicates a securing component is engaged
to couple a car seat with the vehicle, wherein the method further
comprises causing, by the computing device, the wireless
transmitter to stop wirelessly transmitting the alert signal when
at least one of the restraint indicator indicates the restraint is
not in a restraining position or the attachment indicator indicates
the securing component is not engaged to couple the car seat with
the vehicle.
Example 8 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
6-7, further comprising determining, by the computing device, an
activation state of a manual activation component, wherein causing
comprises causing, by the computing device, a wireless transmitter
to transmit the alert signal based at least in part on the
activation state of the manual activation component.
Example 9 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
6-8, further comprising receiving, by the computing device, a
vehicle status indicator indicating a vehicle status of the
vehicle, wherein causing comprises causing, by the computing
device, a wireless transmitter to transmit an elevated alert signal
based at least in part on the vehicle status indicator.
Example 10 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
6-9, further comprising establishing, by the computing device, an
ad-hoc network link with a personal communication device, wherein
causing comprises causing, by the computing device, a wireless
transmitter to transmit the alert signal to the personal
communication device over the established ad-hoc network link.
Example 11 may include at least one non-transitory
computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon
that, in response to execution of the instructions by a computing
device, cause the computing device to: receive a restraint
indicator that was sent based at least in part on whether a
restraint is in a restraining position; receive an attachment
indicator that was sent based at least in part on whether a
securing component is engaged to couple an apparatus having the
restraint and the securing component to a vehicle; and transmit or
cause to be transmitted an alert signal based at least in part on
the restraint indicator and the attachment indicator.
Example 12 may include the subject matter of Example 11, wherein
causing comprises causing, by the computing device, a wireless
transmitter to transmit an alert signal when the restraint
indicator indicates a restraint is in a restraining position and
the attachment indicator indicates a securing component is engaged
to couple a car seat with the vehicle, wherein the instructions
further cause the computing device to cause the wireless
transmitter to stop wirelessly transmitting the alert signal when
at least one of the restraint indicator indicates the restraint is
not in a restraining position or the attachment indicator indicates
the securing component is not engaged to couple the car seat with
the vehicle.
Example 13 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
11-12, wherein the computing device is further caused to determine
an activation state of a manual activation component, wherein the
computing device is to cause a wireless transmitter to transmit the
alert signal based at least in part on the activation state of the
manual activation component.
Example 14 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
11-13, wherein the computing device is further caused to receive a
vehicle status indicator indicating a vehicle status of the
vehicle, wherein the computing device is to cause a wireless
transmitter to transmit an elevated alert signal based at least in
part on the vehicle status indicator.
Example 15 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
11-14, wherein the computing device is further caused to establish
an ad-hoc network link with a personal communication device,
wherein the computing device is to cause a wireless transmitter to
transmit the alert signal to the personal communication device over
the established ad-hoc network link.
Example 16 may include a vehicular warning apparatus comprising:
one or more processors; a wireless receiver coupled with the one or
more processors; an output device; and a warning module operated by
the one or more processors to activate the output device based at
least in part on a wireless alert signal received at the wireless
receiver from a child car seat in a vehicle that indicates the
child car seat is in use.
Example 17 may include the subject matter of Example 16, further
comprising a vibration sensor coupled with the one or more
processors, wherein the warning module is to activate the output
device based at least in part on the wireless alert signal and a
signal from the vibration sensor.
Example 18 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
16-17, wherein the apparatus is a portable device, selectively
locatable in a first vehicle or a second vehicle.
Example 19 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
16-18, further comprising one or more vehicle sensors coupled with
the one or more processors, wherein the warning module is to
determine a vehicle status based at least in part on data from one
or more of the one or more vehicle sensors and activate the output
device with an elevated alert signal based at least in part on the
vehicle status.
Example 20 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
16-19, wherein the output device includes at least one of a vehicle
horn, a vehicle infotainment system, a vehicle climate control
system, a vehicle light, a vehicle door locking mechanism, or a
vehicle dashboard indicator.
Example 21 may include a computer implemented restraint method with
alert, comprising: receiving, by a computing device, an alert
signal from a restraining device in a vehicle that indicates the
restraining device is in use; and activating, by the computing
device, a warning output based at least in part on the alert
signal.
Example 22 may include the subject matter of Example 21, further
comprising: sending, by the computing device, a vehicle status
signal to the restraining device; receiving, by the computing
device, an elevated alert signal from the restraining device; and
activating, by the computing device, an elevated warning output
based at least in part on the elevated alert signal.
Example 23 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
21-22, further comprising: activating, by the computing device, an
elevated warning output based at least in part on a vehicle
status.
Example 24 may include the subject matter of Example 23, wherein
activating the elevated warning output includes transmitting an
emergency signal including location information to an emergency
services provider.
Example 25 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
21-24, wherein activating, by the computing device, the warning
output includes activating at least one of a vehicle horn, a
vehicle infotainment system, a vehicle climate control system, a
vehicle light, a vehicle door locking mechanism, or a vehicle
dashboard indicator.
Example 26 may include at least one non-transitory
computer-readable medium comprising instructions stored thereon
that, in response to execution of the instructions by a computing
device, cause the computing device to: receive an alert signal from
a restraining device in a vehicle that indicates the restraining
device is in use; and activate a warning output based at least in
part on the alert signal.
Example 27 may include the subject matter of Example 26, wherein
the computing device is further caused to: send a vehicle status
signal to the restraining device; receive an elevated alert signal
from the restraining device; and activate an elevated warning
output based at least in part on the elevated alert signal.
Example 28 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
26-27, wherein the computing device is further caused to: activate
an elevated warning output based at least in part on a vehicle
status.
Example 29 may include the subject matter of Example 28, wherein to
activate the elevated warning output includes to transmit an
emergency signal including location information to an emergency
services provider.
Example 30 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
26-29, wherein to activate the warning output includes to activate
at least one of a vehicle horn, a vehicle infotainment system, a
vehicle climate control system, a vehicle light, a vehicle door
locking mechanism, or a vehicle dashboard indicator.
Example 31 may include a restraint apparatus with alert,
comprising: means for receiving a restraint indicator, the
restraint indicator being sent based at least in part on whether a
restraint is in a restraining position; means for receiving an
attachment indicator, the attachment indicator being sent based at
least in part on whether a securing component is engaged to couple
an apparatus having the restraint and the securing component to a
vehicle; and means for transmitting or causing to be transmitted,
an alert signal based at least in part on the restraint indicator
and the attachment indicator.
Example 32 may include the subject matter of Example 31, wherein
causing comprises causing a wireless transmitter to transmit an
alert signal when the restraint indicator indicates a restraint is
in a restraining position and the attachment indicator indicates a
securing component is engaged to couple a car seat with the
vehicle, wherein the restraint apparatus further comprises means
for causing the wireless transmitter to stop wirelessly
transmitting the alert signal when at least one of the restraint
indicator indicates the restraint is not in a restraining position
or the attachment indicator indicates the securing component is not
engaged to couple the car seat with the vehicle.
Example 33 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
31-32, further comprising means for determining an activation state
of a manual activation component, wherein the means for causing
includes means for causing a wireless transmitter to transmit the
alert signal based at least in part on the activation state of the
manual activation component.
Example 34 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
31-33, further comprising means for receiving a vehicle status
indicator indicating a vehicle status of the vehicle, wherein the
means for causing includes means for causing a wireless transmitter
to transmit an elevated alert signal based at least in part on the
vehicle status indicator.
Example 35 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
31-34, further comprising means for establishing an ad-hoc network
link with a personal communication device, wherein the means for
causing includes causing a wireless transmitter to transmit the
alert signal to the personal communication device over the
established ad-hoc network link.
Example 36 may include a vehicular warning apparatus, comprising:
means for receiving an alert signal from a restraining device in a
vehicle that indicates the restraining device is in use; and means
for activating a warning output based at least in part on the alert
signal.
Example 37 may include the subject matter of Example 36, further
comprising: means for sending a vehicle status signal to the
restraining device; means for receiving an elevated alert signal
from the restraining device; and means for activating an elevated
warning output based at least in part on the elevated alert
signal.
Example 38 may include the subject matter of of any one of Examples
36-37, further comprising: means for activating an elevated warning
output based at least in part on a vehicle status.
Example 39 may include the subject matter of Example 38, wherein
the means for activating the elevated warning output includes means
for transmitting an emergency signal including location information
to an emergency services provider.
Example 40 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
36-39, wherein the means for activating the warning output includes
means for activating at least one of a vehicle horn, a vehicle
infotainment system, a vehicle climate control system, a vehicle
light, a vehicle door locking mechanism, or a vehicle dashboard
indicator.
Example 41 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
26-30, further comprising instructions stored thereon that, in
response to execution of the instructions by another computing
device, cause the other computing device to: receive a restraint
indicator that was sent based at least in part on whether a
restraint is in a restraining position; receive an attachment
indicator that was sent based at least in part on whether a
securing component is engaged to couple an apparatus having the
restraint and the securing component to a vehicle; and transmit or
cause to be transmitted an alert signal based at least in part on
the restraint indicator and the attachment indicator.
Example 42 may include the subject matter of Example 41, wherein
causing comprises causing, by the other computing device, a
wireless transmitter to transmit an alert signal when the restraint
indicator indicates a restraint is in a restraining position and
the attachment indicator indicates a securing component is engaged
to couple a car seat with the vehicle, wherein the instructions
further cause the other computing device to cause the wireless
transmitter to stop wirelessly transmitting the alert signal when
at least one of the restraint indicator indicates the restraint is
not in a restraining position or the attachment indicator indicates
the securing component is not engaged to couple the car seat with
the vehicle.
Example 43 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
41-42, wherein the other computing device is further caused to
determine an activation state of a manual activation component,
wherein the other computing device is to cause a wireless
transmitter to transmit the alert signal based at least in part on
the activation state of the manual activation component.
Example 44 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
41-43, wherein the other computing device is further caused to
receive a vehicle status indicator indicating a vehicle status of
the vehicle, wherein the other computing device is to cause a
wireless transmitter to transmit an elevated alert signal based at
least in part on the vehicle status indicator.
Example 45 may include the subject matter of any one of Examples
41-44, wherein the other computing device is further caused to
establish an ad-hoc network link with a personal communication
device, wherein the other computing device is to cause a wireless
transmitter to transmit the alert signal to the personal
communication device over the established ad-hoc network link.
Although certain embodiments have been illustrated and described
herein for purposes of description, a wide variety of alternate
and/or equivalent embodiments or implementations calculated to
achieve the same purposes may be substituted for the embodiments
shown and described without departing from the scope of the present
disclosure. This application is intended to cover any adaptations
or variations of the embodiments discussed herein. Therefore, it is
manifestly intended that embodiments described herein be limited
only by the claims.
Where the disclosure recites "a" or "a first" element or the
equivalent thereof, such disclosure includes one or more such
elements, neither requiring nor excluding two or more such
elements. Further, ordinal indicators (e.g., first, second or
third) for identified elements are used to distinguish between the
elements, and do not indicate or imply a required or limited number
of such elements, nor do they indicate a particular position or
order of such elements unless otherwise specifically stated.
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